Syracuse has to focus on developing its football recruits

Syracuse Football: Letter of Intent Signings Press ConferenceSyracuse University football head coach Doug Marrone, along with Recruiting Coordinator Greg Adkins, discuss the 2011 National letter of intent signing class who will join the Orange football program in the Spring, at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon at Manley Field House.

Doug Marrone calls Syracuse University a “developmental school” when it comes to college football. He said it has been that way since the Ben Schwartzwalder era ended nearly four decades ago.

“I think a key to our success here at Syracuse is our development of the players,” Marrone said on the eve Wednesday’s announcement of the Class of 2011. “I don’t think we’re in a position right now, nor have we ever been in a position since probably the days of Coach Schwartzwalder, where we can get a player like Ernie Davis or Floyd Little.

“We have always been a development school, from Donovan McNabb to Dwight Freeney to Daryl Johnston to Rob Moore. All of them really except for probably Tim Green, who could have gone anywhere when he was being recruited. The rest of us all were developed here.”

Marrone, a former SU and NFL offensive tackle, counts himself among that group. It is why he and recruiting coordinator Greg Adkins concentrated more on “size and range” when filling the current class than trying to fill exact positional needs.

“It’s not the NFL where you say hey we’re going to take this player and he’s going to be our third wide receiver or slot receiver. He’s got speed. He’s not going to be our third-down back or middle linebacker,” Marrone said. “You can’t do that. You’re talking about players who haven’t even reached their maturity in their body. That’s why you see so many people develop into heck of football players.

“What’s great about coaching here is you have to be that kind of coach. There is no greater feeling as a coach than to take someone who has talent and develop it into a winning football player.”

Marrone and Adkins believe they accomplished their mission in their third recruiting class despite losing intense battles for prized defensive line prospects Ishaq Williams (Notre Dame) and Kevin McReynolds (UCLA) down the stretch and apparently drawing an academic line in the sand with four-star junior-college wide receiver DeFarrel Davis.

“Bigger, stronger, faster,” Adkins said in comparing the class to the first two signed during Marrone’s tenure.

“I like the range of the class, the size,” Marrone said. “Part of the thing we wanted to do is we wanted to add more size. On paper we have a very small football team compared to the teams we compete against, so we wanted to get more size. I think we were able to accomplish that. Size and range.”

Marrone signed five offensive linemen and three defensive linemen Wednesday, although he said the group is so versatile that several members could switch to defense once they hit the field. Prime candidates are offensive linemen Rob Trudo (6-foot-5, 285 pounds), who stuck with SU despite a fierce late push from Michigan and Pittsburgh, and Ivan Foy (6-5, 292).

“We’ve got a lot of size coming in on the offensive line,” Marrone said. “You’re talking about 6-4, 300-pound guys. And then Trudo can flat-out run.”

The team also added size at defensive tackle in Ryan Sloan (6-4, 295) and Eric Crume (6-2, 305) to complement edge rusher Donnie Simmons (6-3, 240). It did likewise at wide receiver with Keenan Hale (6-3, 185) and Kyle Foster (6-2, 205) to go along with burner Jeremiah Kobena. All six defensive backs signed can play any position in the secondary. Some could move to receiver if necessary and one, Dyshawn Davis (6-3, 210), is a prime candidate to move to outside linebacker.

Even the two quarterbacks the Orange signed fit the “size and range” profile of the class. If neither Ashton Broyld (6-3, 215) nor Terrel Hunt (6-3, 210) is unable to rise above a logjam at the position a promising future awaits elsewhere, in Broyld’s case at any number of positions from safety to linebacker to tight end.

The additions will give Marrone not only more size and range but numbers. The Orange should enter preseason camp in August with close to the NCAA limit of 85 scholarship players, the first time that has happened since Marrone arrived in December 2008.